MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Red Bulls’ BWP is head of the class

Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters.

New York defeated Atlanta United 3-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday behind a Wright-Phillips brace. The Englishman is now tied for the Golden Boot lead with eight goals scored in 10 matches played, while his five assists tie for fifth in the league. The Red Bulls sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 21 points (7-3-0 overall record).

Wright-Phillips gave New York a 2-1 lead with a sensational header from the center of the box in the 51st minute, redirecting a Michael Murillo cross to the left side of goal past goalkeeper Brad Guzan (Watch Goal).

Minutes later, Wright-Phillips struck again with yet another header to give the Red Bulls a 3-1 advantage in the 55th minute. Alejandro Romero Gamarra sent a cross into the center of the box, with Wright-Phillips elevating to head the ball off the crossbar into goal (Watch Goal). The multi-goal performance was the second this season for Wright-Phillips and the 20th in his MLS regular season career.

The Red Bulls return to action on Saturday, May 25 to host the Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+).

The Alcatel MLS Player of the Week is chosen each week of the regular season by members of the North American Soccer Reporters. The organization includes print, television, radio and online journalists who cover domestic men’s soccer in the United States and Canada.

About The Author

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered eight World Cups, seven Olympics and all 21 MLS Cups. He writes about New York City FC, New York Cosmos and the U.S. national team for Newsday and pens a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has two more in the works, including one about the Rochester Lancers.